Whicker: Clippers win, then hold their breath over Blake Griffin

He was the one who was knocked into Blake Griffin, landed on his left knee, heard him scream.

He talked to Griffin in the Clippers’ locker room, although Griffin wasn’t in the mood to converse.

“He’s down,” Rivers said. “It’s like oh, no, not again.”

That is taken in an individual and team sense. Griffin’s biggest NBA obstacles are the muscles and ligaments that threaten to burst through the skin, yet can’t weather 82 games, not the way he attacks them.

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The Clippers have already lost three of the top players they meant to use to fill the empty locker of Chris Paul.

Griffin left the locker room without comment Monday night.

“I think it’s hyperextended,” Rivers said, speaking of Griffin’s knee. ‘“I hope it’s hyperextended. I hope that’s all it is, because if it is, he might miss a game or two. I hope it’s not worse. That’s the last thing we need, missing that guy.”

The first things they need are victories, and the Clippers still got one Monday, a vastly entertaining 120-115 win over a Lakers squad that will wonder how it got away.

The Clippers were up 112-110 with 3:53 left when Griffin came to the bench and then disappeared into the wings. They still won, possibly because the Lakers launched a cascade of bad shots, possibly because there are nights when there is no bad shot if it comes off the fingertips of Lou Williams.